Union leaders at one of the biggest colleges in the country are claiming the school has resorted to "ruthless" tactics to cut costs amid international student restrictions.
According to the head of the union that represents faculty and staff at Conestoga College, the school has been using a "loophole" to layoff teachers by changing their contracts and dropping them to part-time.
"We know from our feedback from our members who are in desperate situations that they're losing their financial, you know, base in terms of salary going to part-time versus partial load level and as well, they're losing benefits," said Leopold Koff.
"They are impacting them personally in their finances, their benefits and the precarity of their position. They are taking advantage for their own financial cost reduction goals."
The college did not respond to a request for comment.
He calls this tactic of shifting contracts from partial-load to part-time "ruthless behaviour" by the college which is then able to "lay off" these part-time contracts as they see fit.
These are staff who only work a maximum of 12 hours a week while part-time are only permitted to work a maximum of six hours. A report will be coming to the unions in the next few weeks with exact numbers of staff that have had their contacts changed or have been let go.
Non-full-time staff make up at least 70 per cent of all staff at the college.
"They are laying off, they're just doing it through a loophole," added Koff. "We want that new collective agreement to close those loopholes for partial load."
Conestoga College is also asking eligible full-time faculty to retire early with a new round of buyouts with the same cost-cutting initiatives in mind.
Union leaders say that 160 staff and faculty are eligible for this round of buyouts and eligibility has been widened to multiple age groups.
According to Koff, the school only has 570 full-time faculty members and losing 160 of them would be detrimental to the school.
"I can say for a fact, one of them won't be me," joked Koff. "But basically all of them, it tells you that they would all be at the top pay step, you know the most expensive faculty that Conestoga has."
The criteria for those who are eligible have been pushed for those who are 50 years or older and whose age and years worked add up to 70. The package includes a year's salary and staff have until Jan. 8 to accept the deal with their last day being April 30, 2025.
Koff added this is another way the college can cut costs amid the international student cap that has seen Conestoga's international enrolment drop by 75 per cent in just one year.
According to data provided by the IRCC, Conestoga had 29,985 study permits approved in 2023 and as of October 31 had 7,540 approved in 2024.
The school has been able to charge international students nearly four times as much as domestic students with the average two-year course costing $18,000 for those coming from abroad.
With an estimated loss of over $180 million this year in revenue, Koff noted if the school can get some of their senior members who are at the highest pay scale to retire they can bring in new full-time or part-time staff at a much lower rate.
The college and the unions are heading back to the negotiation table in January to discuss a new agreement. The way things currently stand, Koff doesn't see a resolution and said everything is on the table.
When asked if teachers and faculty could go on strike, Koff said either side could call for labour action that could come in many forms.
"It doesn't have to be a strike, it can be a work to rule, it can be many things. You could see rotating strikes, it can be a full walkout, it can be a number of things," he said. "I honestly can't say."